Bacolod grants permits to 42 street vendors

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — Mayor Greg Gasataya has issued special permits to 42 ambulant vendors operating along North Capitol Road, or Lagoon, here, recognizing them amid the city’s road-clearing operations on major streets.

The Business Permits and Licensing Office processed the permits with support from the City Administrator’s Office, and Gasataya personally distributed them during a recent dialogue at the City Mayor’s Office.

For vendors such as Ronela Lagahit, 37, who has sold fresh fruit juice along Aguinaldo Street near North Capitol Road for years, the permit ends decades of uncertainty about her livelihood.

Gasataya said the city recognizes the vendors’ need to earn a living and aims to support them while still enforcing existing ordinances on ambulant vending.

He clarified that the city’s objective is regulation rather than relocation, noting that the permits will also make it easier for vendors to access future assistance programs because they are now officially registered with the city.

The mayor also approved weekly road flushing operations to maintain cleanliness, ordered coordination with the Bacolod Traffic and Transport Management Department to address parking concerns affecting vendors, and pledged to install temporary solar lights in darker sections of the area.

City Administrator Mark Steven Mayo emphasized the importance of clearing non-designated vending zones, particularly Aguinaldo Street, to improve traffic flow.

The enforcement is pursuant to City Ordinance No. 1009, which seeks to regulate street vending while balancing the interests of vendors, motorists, and commuters.

Under the permit guidelines, vendors may operate only from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. to avoid rush-hour congestion.

They are limited to “grab-and-go” cart setups, while chairs, tables, and permanent structures remain prohibited.

Mayo said the city consulted vendors before implementing the clearing operations to arrive at what officials described as a “win-win solution.”